I have about three dozen hats and caps, a dozen of which are cowgirl hats. Some are practical like my winter hats and some are just for fun, like my Fourth of July hat. When I wear my cowgirl boots and hats in public, some people want to know if I participate in the rodeo. Nope! I don’t have any horses nor do I live on a ranch. Actually, the boots are quite comfortable and the hats block the sun. I may look the part but, I’m definitely not a cowgirl. I just like the way they look on me and how they make me feel. I've changed my appearance, but I'm the same "me" inside.
People make assumptions based on what they see and treat you accordingly. We dress the part of what we want to portray. For example, if you're in a factory and a person shows up in a jacket and tie, you might hear the expression, "Here come the suit." The assumption is this person is a CEO or someone with a lot of authority. You can change how people perceive you by how you dress.
Shortly after I met my husband, he saw me wearing my tool belt while I was working on a project at my friend's house. He was impressed and said, "She even has her own tool belt!" When I found out what he said, I laughed. Yes, I can install a sprinkler system in your backyard or do a variety of other odd ball jobs, but I am not a person you should trust for certain kind of repairs. I am not a plumber, although I can fix your leaky toilet or a carpenter, although I can build you a tree house. I'm not afraid to try to fix some things but make no mistake, my tool belt isn't a sign of my competence and there are things I will not even try. I will not touch anything that involves electricity except change light bulbs. I will not change the spark plugs in your car, although I will put in a new air filter. And I will not climb up and repair/replace shingles on your roof, although I will hang Christmas lights from the beams. Gene still thinks I can do many things beyond my capabilities because I now have two tool belts, two tool boxes and a lot more tools.
As a Christian, I want to live my life in a manner that reflects positively on Christ's message of love. I want the outer me you see, be the same as the inner me in me. I want to be an authentic Christian, not like some who are the worst witnesses because of how they act. I'm not perfect and make plenty of mistakes, but I ask God to show me how I can change and live a life consistent with my faith. Being a Christian isn't about being perfect; it's about the journey of becoming more Christ-like.
So what does a Christian look like? How do people outside the church identify Christians? Is it because they pray before their meals? Is it because they wear T-shirts with Christian sayings on them? Is it because they have Christian bumper stickers on their cars? Many years ago I was with a good friend and we saw a car that had a fish bumper sticker. I said to my friend, "This is the Greek ICHTHYS symbol. The person who owns this car must be a Christian." ICHTHYS is an acrostic for 'Jesus, Christ, Son of God, Savior' which spells FISH in Greek. It was a secret symbol used in the first century by persecuted Christians to recognize one another. Anyway, a man approached the car and we excitedly said to him, "We see your fish bumper sticker. Are you a Christian?" He said, "No, I'm a Pisces." We felt really foolish. We mistook a zodiac sign for a Christian symbol.
Christianity isn't about Christian T-shirts, bumper stickers or even praying before you eat. Outward symbols and signs can be deceiving. As we all know, it's about what's inside that counts. I want God to transform me inwardly so I reflect more of Christ outwardly. It's a journey of faith with ups and downs, but I'm relying on God to give me strength all along the way. I know I'm not perfect, but I want to become more Christ-like so I can be a blessing to a hurting world. We Christians are not perfect, but we are all on a journey of faith of transforming our lives into the likeness of Christ. Our inward faith then becomes our outward faith.